Crohn's, The Inflammatory Bowel Disease....
These are the experiences of the Crohnie, Vern...
His ongoing mission...
To explore strange new bathrooms....
To seek out new toilets and new bidets....
To boldly "GO" where no one has gone before......

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Monday, November 12, 2012

What IS Crohn's Disease?

To me, what IS Crohn's Disease?, simply, it's very painful and it's a pain in the ass, figuratively and literally.......but having said that, here it is in clinical form:

Crohn's Disease is a chronic inflammation of the digestive track.

The digestive track covers the following:

Mouth

Esophagus

Stomach

Small Intestine

Large Intestine

Rectum

Anus

Crohn's can affect any of those areas, but most commonly attacks the ileum or
the lower small intestine, as in my case. The swelling of the affected area will cause pain and
diarrhea.

Abdominal pain and diarrhea are the most common symptoms of crohn's disease.
Other symptoms include rectal bleeding, weight loss, arthritis, skin problems,
inflammation in the eyes, and fever. The range and severity of symptoms can
vary. A diagnosis of Crohn's may involve blood tests, stool tests, upper GI,
colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, or biopsy.

Crohn's may involve several factors including heredity, environment and the
immune system. The main theory is that the body's immune system reacts to good
bacteria and food as it would to a foreign body and tries to fight it off.
Because of this, white blood cells will gather in the lining of the intestines
and result in chronic inflammation. So, basically, no one really knows for sure.....yet.

Treatment may include a combination of drugs, nutrition supplements, and
surgery. The goals of treatment are to ease the symptoms, control inflammation
and improve nutrition. Currently, there is no cure for Crohn's Disease. However,
people can have a long period of remission where they are symptom free.
Drugs may include anti-inflammation, steroids, cortisone, immune system
suppressors, Remicade, antibiotics, anti-diarrheal and fluid replacements.

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Disclaimer

The information on this blog is the experience of this blogger only. This blog is for information only and is not intended to heal, treat, prevent or cure Crohn's Disease or any disease. As there is no definitive "cause" for Crohn's Disease, currently there is no cure. All of us "sufferers" have different experiences with Crohn's. By no means am I a medical expert, or professional, or pretend to be one. If you decide to take any advice from this blog, you do so at your own risk. Please always check with a medical professional before doing anything from this blog. I will not sell any personal or contact information from commenters, or followers, to any company. I will not put their information on spam lists. I am not responsible for the privacy practices of any of my advertisers or blog commenters. I will on the other hand, take responsibility for any smiles and laughter as a result from reading this blog. ~ Vern